Twitter Reactions: Australia script a historic series win over Pakistan with a win in Lahore Test

When Pakistan ended Day four on 73/0, many thought Pat Cummins‘ bold declaration to dangle a carrot would come back to haunt Australia. But the move worked sensationally as Pakistan capitulated on the final day with off-spinner Nathan Lyon picking up a stunning five-wicket haul while the pace bowlers did their job perfectly to keep the hosts on their toes.

The day began with the Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam ul Haq looking solid in the middle and there were chances for the home team to script history. However, reverse swing came to Australia’s rescue as Cameron Green successfully brought one back into Shafique who was committed to forward defence only to edge the ball to the keeper.

Azhar Ali came out to bat then and kept Australia at bay for almost 15 overs with Imam. However, the former was adjudged out on review in controversial circumstances when the ultra edge had only a minor murmur when the ball was close to the bat. At the other end, Imam-ul-Haq was batting with patience and also got to his fifty. He got a resolute Babar Azam as his partner as well with the duo keeping the team in the hunt.

But Imam’s stay at the crease was ended by Lyon and it opened the floodgates for Australia with the lower middle-order not contributing as expected throughout the series.

Lyon and Cummins wreck havoc in the final session

By the end of the second session, Pakistan still had some chance despite having only five wickets in hand. But Babar Azam, with a half-century to his name, was in the middle and was the only hope for the hosts. He was also reprieved by Australia earlier in the innings with Australia not reviewing an on-field decision despite the batter edging one to the slip fielder.

However, soon after Tea break, the Pakistan skipper once again edged one off Lyon and Steve Smith took a brilliant low catch to leave the Lahore crowd in stun silence. That virtually was the final nail in the coffin for Pakistan and it didn’t take much time for the Aussies to clean up the tail.

While Mitchell Starc sent back Sajid Khan and Lyon dismissed Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi to complete a fifer, Pat Cummins fittingly finished the game by leaving Naseem Shah’s stumps in a mess. Pakistan were bundled out for 235 runs chasing 351 runs with more than 20 overs and Australia created history winning the three-match series 1-0 after touring the country for the first time in the 21st century.

Here’s how Twitter reacted: